SkillSelect

About SkillSelect​​

SkillSelect is an online service that ​helps Australia manage its skilled migration program. It helps to ensure that the skilled migration program is based on Australia's economic needs. It supports the government in managing who can apply for skilled migration, when they can apply and in what numbers. As a result, the time taken to process a visa application is significantly reduced.

SkillSelect also helps address regional skill shortages. SkillSelect allows intending migrants to indicate if they are willing to live and work in regional Australia. This is of particular benefit to state and territory governments attempting to settle migrants in regional Australia.

How does SkillSelect work?

Skilled workers and business people interested in migrating to Australia can be considered for a skilled visa by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect.

An EOI is an indication that you would like to be considered for a skilled visa.
An EOI is not a visa application.

You will be asked to provide a range of information in your EOI depending on the visa you want to be considered for, such as:

basic personal information

nominated occupation

work experience

study and education

level of English skills

details of a skills assessment, related to your nominated occupation

business and investment experience.

These skilled workers and business people can then be found and nominated for skilled visas by Australian state and territory governments, or they might be invited by the Australian Government to lodge a visa application.

All people interested in the points based skilled migration or business investment and innovation visa programs will need to submit an EOI and receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.

For more detail on what questions and information you will need to supply in your EOI, you should refer to the webpage of the visa you are interested in.

Which visas can be applied for?

The following five visas must be applied for following submission of a successful Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect:

Expression of interest

The following information will guide you through the process for submitting an Expression of Interest.

Submitting an EOI

If you have researched your visa options and prepared the information required, you are ready to make an EOI. All EOIs must be completed online using SkillSelect. There is no fee to create or submit an EOI in SkillSelect.

For the points based skilled migration programs, such as the independent skilled program, you will be ranked according to your score on the appropriate points test. You will be able to complete an EOI even if you do not meet the pass mark, however, you will not be eligible to be invited to apply for a visa.

When you submit your EOI, you will be shown your points score but will not be able to view your ranking position. This is because your ranking will change as people enter and leave SkillSelect.

For information about how to calculate the points test for skilled migration, visit the points test webpage of the relevant visa subclass page.

Once you have completed your EOI, it is stored in SkillSelect and is valid for two years.

Incomplete EOIs will also be stored for two years, but will not be eligible to receive an invitation. EOIs that do not comply with the terms and conditions of SkillSelect can be removed at any time. You will be asked to read and agree to the terms and conditions when you register for a SkillSelect account.

EOIs submitted in SkillSelect

Once you submit your completed EOI, you will receive a confirmation notification from SkillSelect. Your EOI will then remain in SkillSelect for a maximum of two years. SkillSelect will calculate your points, assess your eligibility and will provide feedback when you submit for points tested and business innovation visas. You will be able to view a report to see where you were awarded points after you submit your EOI.

You can also access your EOI and update your information at any time. You might want to do this if you have gained new work experience, gained a higher qualification, improved your English language ability and/or changed your family composition. If you provide updated information which changes your points score or your ability to make a complete EOI, SkillSelect will update your ranking and ability to be considered for an invitation automatically. Be aware if you are invited to apply for a visa, the information you submit in the EOI will be used as part of your application. If you provide incorrect, false or misleading information on your EOI, your application might be refused. It is your responsibility to access your EOI and update your details if your circumstances change.

It is your responsibility to update your EOI. It will be too late to update your EOI if you receive an invitation to lodge a visa application. Your invitation to lodge a visa is based only on the information presented in your EOI.

Helpful information when completing an EOI

When you complete an EOI in SkillSelect each question has help text available. To access the help text, click on the question mark icon next to the question. If you require further information, visit the
SkillSelect Technical Support page. This page also includes contact details for additional assistance if required.

If you receive an invitation to apply, and your score under the points test is less than claimed in your EOI, your visa might be refused even if you are able to pass the points test or meet other threshold criteria. If you receive an invitation and your points have decreased or your personal information is not accurate, you do not have to proceed to make an application. You should correct the information in your EOI and wait to receive another invitation.

If you receive two invitations and you do not lodge a visa application in response to either of these invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect. If you are unable to access your EOI for a length of time, then you can choose to suspend your EOI. While this will not extend the validity of your EOI it will stop you receiving invitations or contacts that you cannot act on, and will avoid your EOI being removed while you are, for example, on holiday and have received two invitations during that time.

If you receive an invitation to lodge a visa application for a permanent or provisional visa and are subsequently granted that visa, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.

Note: There can only be one invitation on an EOI at any time even if more than one visa subclass has been selected. For example if you have a current invitation to apply for a subclass 190 visa you cannot receive an invitation to apply for a subclass 189 visa. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand the questions on the EOI form. If you are unsure about a question, read all available help text to ensure that you answer the questions as accurately as possible.

You must be able to support the claims you make in your EOI with documentation and have this documentation ready to provide when making your application. An invitation to make a visa application might be issued within a short timeframe after you submit your EOI. You will have 60 days from the date of invitation to make a valid visa application.

Invitation and selection process

Depending on what type of visa(s) you are interested in, you might receive an invitation to lodge a visa application or a state or territory government might contact you to discuss nomination opportunities.

Independent and Skilled Regional (Provisional) visas

Invitations are issued automatically by the SkillSelect system to the highest ranking EOIs, subject to occupation ceilings. Invitations are issued regularly.

State and territory nominated visas

State or territory governments will identify and select skilled workers that they wish to nominate. State and territory governments might assess people before they nominate them. If you are nominated by a state or territory government and you have indicated that your points score is above the current pass mark for that visa, you will receive an invitation to apply from the SkillSelect system. When you complete an EOI that includes one of these visa types, you will be asked which state or territory you wish to seek nomination from. You will be able to select one state or territory, or any state or territory. If you select one state or territory only, then staff from that government body will be able to view your EOI for this visa type. If you select any state or territory, staff from all state or territory governments will be able to see your EOI for this visa type.

Business Innovation and Investment visas

State or territory governments or Austrade on behalf of the Australian government will identify and select skilled business people or investors they might want to nominate. Government nominators might assess people to meet their needs before they nominate them. If you are nominated by a state or territory government, or by Austrade, you will receive an invitation to apply from the SkillSelect system.

For streams which require a pass mark, you must indicate that your points score is above the pass mark to receive an invitation. On a limited basis, nominating state or territory governments might award additional points towards the points test where they have determined that your proposed business is of exceptional economic benefit to that state or territory. When you complete an EOI that includes one of these visa types, you will be asked which state or territory you wish to seek nomination from, or if you are seeking nomination in the Significant Investor stream, if you wish to seek nomination from Austrade. You will be able to select one nominator, or any nominator. If you select one nominator only, then staff from that government body will be able to view your EOI for this visa type. If you select any nominator, staff from all state or territory governments and Austrade will be able to see your EOI for this visa type. If you seek nomination from Austrade for the Significant Investor stream, your EOI will be able to be viewed by all states and territories as well as Austrade.

It is your responsibility to contact the government from which you are seeking nomination to discuss their processes and requirements.

Occupation ceilings

An 'occupation ceiling' might be applied to invitations issued under the independent, skilled regional (provisional) visas. This means there will be a limit on how many EOIs can be selected for skilled migration from an occupation group. This ensures that the skilled migration program is not dominated by a small number of occupations. Once this limit is reached, no further invitations for that particular occupation group will be issued for that program year. Invitations will then be allocated to intending migrants in other occupation groups even if they are lower ranking. See 'occupation ceilings' tab on this page.

If you are invited or selected

If you are invited to apply for a visa you will receive an invitation from SkillSelect. You will then have 60 days from the date of invitation to make a valid visa application online before the invitation expires.

Applications received outside of this timeframe will not be valid and you will need to wait for a further invitation before being eligible to make an application. The online visa application system will use information from your EOI, therefore you do not need to re-enter some information already provided.

You must provide evidence to support your claims with your visa application. Health and character requirements will be assessed and requested during the visa application stage.

For assistance in lodging a visa application please see the specific visa subclass page.

Please be aware if you do not make a valid visa application after receiving two invitations, your EOI will be removed from SkillSelect.

If you are not invited or selected

Many more people want to migrate to Australia than there are places available. This means not everyone who completes an EOI will receive an invitation to apply for a visa. Your EOI will stay in SkillSelect for a maximum of two years. At any time during the validity of your EOI, you can update your details to reflect any additional qualifications or experience you might have obtained. This might increase your likelihood of being invited or a state and territory government agency contacting you. You might receive notifications from SkillSelect during this time to notify you of visa program changes, the expiration of your EOI, or other information that you might find useful. You will not be notified of the progress of your EOI or be able to obtain any updates on the likelihood of receiving an invitation. After each invitation round for the independent and skilled regional (provisional) nominated visas, the Department will publish on the SkillSelect website the lowest points scoring points test mark that allowed an EOI to be invited. This will give you an indication of your potential for receiving an invitation in future rounds.

An EOI is not a visa application. You cannot access merits review by the Migration Review Tribunal (MRT). If you want to express concerns to the department about the invitation process, contact us through
Client feedback.

Bridging visas

An EOI is not a visa application and you will not be granted a Bridging visa by submitting an EOI. Your eligibility for a Bridging visa would only be considered once a valid visa application is lodged.

If you are in Australia and the visa you hold is about to expire before you are invited and able to apply for a skilled visa, you will need to apply for another visa to remain in Australia. If you do not meet the requirements for the grant of another visa, you will need to depart Australia before your visa expires.

Using a migration agent

You do not need to use a migration agent to submit an EOI. However, if you choose to use an agent, the department recommends that you use a registered migration agent. It is important to note that you will only have one login to access your EOI account. You can only specify one email address to be contacted by SkillSelect about any invitations or messages in relation to your EOI account. All email notifications will be sent to the email address you nominate and it will be your responsibility to ensure you can access your emails and update your account with any change of email address.

Under Australian law, anyone who uses knowledge of migration procedures to offer immigration assistance to a person wishing to obtain a visa to enter or remain in Australia must be registered or exempt from registration.

All registered migration agents are bound by the Migration Agents Code of Conduct, which requires agents to act professionally in their clients' lawful best interests. A list of registered migration agents is available from the
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (Office of the MARA) website

The Office of the MARA investigates complaints against registered migration agents and might take disciplinary action against them. If you have a concern about a registered migration agent, you should contact the Office of the MARA. The Code of Conduct and complaint form are available from the Office of the MARA website.

Invitation rounds

Current invitation round

An invitation round to apply for the Skilled - Independent (subclass 189) and Skilled - Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) was conducted on
11 July 2018.

Next invitation rounds

Invitation rounds for
Skilled - Independent (subclass 189) and
Skilled - Regional Provisional (subclass 489) visas will be run once a month.

Invitation rounds are anticipated to run on the 11th day of each month. Dates for the rounds are subject to change.

Invitation numbers in each round may vary depending on the number of applications being processed by the department.

Note: State or territory government nominations for subclass 489 - Skilled Regional (Provisional) (State or Territory nominated) visas will not be impacted.

Occupation ceilings

Occupation ceiling values are based on a percentage of stock employment figures for each occupation. Stock employment figures are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and represent the number of people employed in Australia in each occupation.

Occupation ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated, Employer Sponsored or Business Innovation and Investment visa subclasses.

Occupation ceilings for the 2018-19 program year

Occupation ID

Description

Occupation Ceiling Value 2018-19

Invitations to 11/07/2018

1213

Livestock Farmers

4196

0

1331

Construction Managers

5400

3

1332

Engineering Managers

1155

2

1341

Child Care Centre Managers

1000

0

1342

Health and Welfare Services Managers

1374

0

2211

Accountants*

4785

36

2212

Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers*

1327

13

2241

Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians

1000

4

2245

Land Economists and Valuers

1000

3

2247

Management consultant

3285

19

2321

Architects and Landscape Architects

1474

22

2322

Cartographers and Surveyors

1000

4

2331

Chemical and Materials Engineers

1000

42

2332

Civil Engineering Professionals

3296

105

2333

Electrical Engineers

1042

48

2334

Electronics Engineers*

1000

3

2335

Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers*

2178

17

2339

Other Engineering Professionals*

1000

7

2341

Agricultural and Forestry Scientists

1000

15

2346

Medical Laboratory Scientists

1487

9

2347

Veterinarians

1000

12

2349

Other Natural and Physical Science Professionals

1000

3

2411

Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers

2639

26

2414

Secondary School Teachers

7910

34

2415

Special Education Teachers

1000

0

2512

Medical Imaging Professionals

1113

1

2514

Optometrists and Orthoptists

1000

0

2519

Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals

1000

0

2521

Chiropractors and Osteopaths

1000

4

2524

Occupational Therapists

1109

5

2525

Physiotherapists

1464

12

2526

Podiatrists

1000

0

2527

Speech Professionals and Audiologists

1000

10

2531

General Practitioners and Resident Medical officers

3495

34

2533

Internal Medicine Specialists

1000

2

2534

Psychiatrists

1000

0

2535

Surgeons

1000

2

2539

Other Medical Practitioners

1000

68

2541

Midwives

1090

3

2544

Registered Nurses

16741

105

2611

ICT Business and Systems Analysts*

1574

14

2613

Software and Applications Programmers*

6202

69

2621

Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists

2391

72

2631

Computer Network Professionals*

1318

21

2633

Telecommunications Engineering Professionals

1000

88

2711

Barristers

1000

0

2713

Solicitors

4161

18

2723

Psychologists

1750

6

2725

Social Workers

1562

18

3122

Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians

1000

1

3123

Electrical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians

1000

0

3132

Telecommunications Technical Specialists

1000

2

3211

Automotive Electricians

1000

0

3212

Motor Mechanics

5980

5

3222

Sheetmetal Trades Workers

1000

0

3223

Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers

4426

2

3232

Metal Fitters and Machinists

5330

1

3233

Precision Metal Trades Workers

1000

0

3241

Panelbeaters

1344

0

3311

Bricklayers and Stonemasons

1271

0

3312

Carpenters and Joiners

6968

3

3322

Painting Trades Workers

2780

1

3331

Glaziers

1000

0

3332

Plasterers

2103

0

3334

Wall and Floor Tilers

1407

0

3341

Plumbers

5507

1

3411

Electricians

9354

7

3421

Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics

1427

0

3422

Electrical Distribution Trades Workers

1000

0

3423

Electronics Trades Workers

1878

2

3513

Chefs

2675

6

3941

Cabinetmakers

1905

0

3991

Boat Builders and Shipwrights

1000

0

*Occupations that are subject to pro rata arrangements. For Accountants (2211) the occupational ceiling also reflects volumes in other skilled visa categories.